458 POLSKA LUDOWA
essential arts of irony, of criticism, of ambiguity, or of gentle self-denigration, was
no cultural programme at all. It recalled the antics of 'barbarians in the Forum'.
As Zbigniew Herbert had written, with a pen which was steadily gaining inter-
national recognition, the lowest circle of Hell was not filled with fire and brim-
stone, or with physical tortures:
The lowest circle of Hell. Contrary to prevailing opinion, it is inhabited neither by
despots nor matricides, nor even by those who solicit the bodies of others. It is the refuge
of artists, full of mirrors, musical instruments, and pictures. At first glance, it is the most
luxurious of the infernal departments...
Throughout the year competitions, festivals, and concerts are held here. There is no cli-
max to the season. The climax is permanent and almost absolute. Every few months new
trends come into being; and nothing, it appears, is capable of stopping the triumphal
march of the avant-garde.
Beelzebub loves art. He boasts that his choruses, his poets, and his painters are nearly
superior to those of Heaven. He who has better art, has better government - that's clear.
Soon they will be able to measure their strength against one another at the Festival of the
Two Worlds. And then we will see what remains of Dante, of Fra Angelico, and of Bach.
Beelzebub supports the arts. He provides his artists with calm, good board, and with
complete insulation against any real experience of the hellish life.
The Fine Arts and Music traditionally attracted the nation's brightest talents.
Official preference for traditional and non-abstract forms had not been pushed
to extremes. Monumental sculpture, drama, graphics, and instrumental music
reached standards of international excellence. Individuals such as Nikifor (died
1970), the primitivist painter, or the composers Witold Lutoslawski (born 1913)
and Krzysztof Penderecki (born 1933), enjoyed worldwide reputations.^59
Science and technology, which was taken to include all the 'humanistic' or
social sciences, was controlled by the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN).
Experimental and theoretical institutes had been created for almost every con-
ceivable branch of science, and Polish specialists participated in a full range of
international ventures.
As in all communist countries, sport had been raised into a major state indus-
try, from which the authorities hoped to win popularity and prestige. Special
emphasis was placed on physical fitness and hence on gymnastics, athletics, and
team sports. Stadiums, coaching, and, more recently, the production of modern
sports equipment received generous support. The defeat of England in the
European Cup in 1973, and a series of creditable performances in the Olympic
Games, have provoked scenes of mass rejoicing.
Political life was controlled by the ruling Party to an extent which few western
observers couldcomprehend. Indeed, the usual label of a 'One Party State' was
inadequate to describe how the regime actually worked. In a dual system where
all organs of the state government were supervised by corresponding organs of
the Party apparatus, the State had certainly to be seen as the junior partner, if not
just the administrative branch, of the Party. (See Diagram G.) What is more, indi-